Credible Military Threat Needed Against Iran: Netanyahu

By Calev Ben-David - Feb 18, 2013 4:12 AM ET

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a “credible military threat” is needed to stop Iran’s atomic program, the risk it poses to the flow of Middle East oil and what he called a global wave of Iran-led terrorism.

“The sanctions alone won’t stop Iran’s nuclear program,” Netanyahu said at a conference in Jerusalem today. “They have to be coupled with a robust, credible military threat.” Iran will be at the top of President Barack Obama’s agenda next month when he visits Israel and the Palestinian territories, followed by violence in Syria, Netanyahu said.

Iran faces sanctions including a European Union ban on oil purchases and new U.S. measures this month that restrict the Persian Gulf country’s access to cash from oil exports.

6. Benjamin, just bomb Iran already.

7. What's needed is a credible military threat against an attack or first-use by either Israel or Iran.

If we want to join Israel in a first-strike, we can do nothing. But, that sucks us into a war with Iran as if we started it ourselves.

On the other hand, if we want to pretend to be policing the peace in a reasonably unbiased way, we need to let Israel know that an attack by either side will be responded to as an attack on the United States.

That would solve the problem, right there. But, keeping the peace isn't what we're really doing, is it?